19950712018699A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Cessna 185C · Bettles, AK · July 12, 1995

Date: July 12, 1995 · 11:00 local
Place: Bettles, AK
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N725
NTSB investigation: NTSBANC95TA102
Reported as: Cessna 185C
Fatal injuries: 0

N725Registered now · Cessna 185CS/N 185-0737 · Built 1964 Airframe modelCessna 185C Engine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Aircraft made hard landing on glassy water, drove struts into fuselage. (-4)the pilot had performed two previous glassy water landings on the lake. On his third landing, he misjudged his height above the water and prematurely reduced power. The aircraft descended abruptly and sustained substantial damage during the ensuing hard landing.

As the FAA filed it

AIRCRAFT MADE HARD LANDING ON GLASSY WATER, DROVE STRUTS INTO FUSELAGE. (-4)THE PILOT HAD PERFORMED TWO PREVIOUS GLASSY WATER LANDINGS ON THE LAKE. ON HIS THIRD LANDING, HE MISJUDGED HIS HEIGHT ABOVE THE WATER AND PREMATURELY REDUCED POWER. THE AIRCRAFT DESCENDED ABRUPTLY AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE DURING THE ENSUING HARD LANDING.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ANC95TA102Accident · No injuriesFinal reportBettles, AKThe pilot-in-command's failure to properly judge the height of the airplane above the water during landing. Contributing to the accident were the glassy water conditions and an excessive descent rate at touchdown.Jul 12, 1995 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N725 · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 19971023030859ATakeoff Ground Roll · Farmington, NMAcft nosed over during take off in high wind cond, Farmington, NM (.4)the pilot was on a cross-country flight after purchasing the aircraft the previous day. He said he had moderate experience in the aircraft, but lacked recent experience and had flown the…Oct 23, 1997 · Substantial damage